


Missing

by StarRoseColors



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Depravity Falls, Drowning, Eye Gouging, Eye Trauma, Near Death Experiences, OC, Object Head Bill Cipher, Ooc Bill Cipher, eye removal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 11:47:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21098954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarRoseColors/pseuds/StarRoseColors
Summary: A story I wrote when I was younger, condensed into one thing.





	Missing

Everyone knew Amelia Pines.

Highest grades in seventh grade, considered for scholarships, and one of the most behaved kids in Piedmont. She was the pride of her family, especially her aunt and uncle.

So the twelve-year-old standing on a table and screaming about her dead cousins was out of character.

"I'm telling you, I don't care who's gonna stop me but I am bringing Dipper and Mabel home!" She yelled, stomping her foot. The scene was huge and loud in the synagogue, the family and friends arranged in the large number of tables staring at her. She didn't have time to care.

Dipper and Mabel Pines had disappeared six years ago, during their second trip to Gravity Falls, Oregon. There had been a huge search through the woods, but there had been no sign of... anything.

They had simply vanished.

"Amalia Emilie Pines, get down." Her father hissed. "You're embarrassing the family."

Black hair whirled around, the golden candle hairclip she wore shining as Amelia glared down at her father. "An embarrassment? An embarrassment?! You're telling me that simply believing that Dipper and Mabel are alive is an embarrassment, while simply giving up isn't!?"

"Those are two entirely different things! You know that the police couldn't find anything, so they must be dead!"

"Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan know that there's a chance that they're alive!" Amelia, gesturing to said old men. The former shrunk in his seat. The latter stood, she being too busy to notice. "I've been told stories-"

"Okay, hotshot, cool your jets," Stan said, picking the petite girl up. She quieted in surprise. "Let's go get some ice cream." With Ford, the two headed out of the memorial. Before the doors barely closed, people were whispering.

She noticed, ears burning as the doors shut.

-_-

"Your parents told me you got expelled."

Amelia, adrenaline fading as she stared at her sherbet, nodded. Her ears and cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment. She wanted to forget _that_ scene. Making a fuss in front of her family was one thing. The entire thing with the principal was another.

Stan sighed, poking at his vanilla. "Was it about them?"

_Dipper__ and Mabel_.

"Some guy said something and I...snapped."

Ford took a bite of his chocolate. "If that was your first offense, I don't know how you-"

"He landed up in the hospital with a broken arm. Then I called the principal a mother fucking son of a bitch with my middle finger up." She admitted. She turned a darker shade of red.

Ford blinked, opening and shutting his mouth. He thought for a moment. "Okay. Now I see it."

"Do you think there's a chance?" Amelia asked. Blue eyes stared up at her grunkles. "Just a chance, that they're alive?"

"Amelia, honey-" Ford started, interrupted by his twin.

"Yes. There is a chance. Look, we'll talk to your parents and you can investigate your butt off at Gravity Falls."

There was a smile. "Thanks."

* * *

**Two weeks later...**

Bill was mad.

Not mad, _furious._

He had been outwitted. By _mortals_.

Trapped in his mindscape, held prisoner by stone, he felt the tugging of a summoning.

Didn't Gideon learn his lesson? How long had it been, six years or so? The boy was still as stupid as always. (He ignored the part of him that whispered _This summoning is different.)_

Time to teach them a lesson.

Instead of his usual fiery, dramatic entrance, he decided to throw the nearest thing at the summoner for taking _so_ long.

Said thing was a cup of tea.

To teach them a lesson.

He blinked in surprise at the "Wah!"

It didn't sound like Gideon. A black haired, currently tea soaked, human glared up at him instead. She was around the same age as Pine Tree and Shooting Star during that long ago summer.

Clenching a red journal, the human was dressed in one of Sixer's jackets, tailored to her size. A backpack sat next to her. He could see more candles and a pack of matches in it. The bag had turned monochrome like the rest of this place, fallen into a dream.

Okay, he could work with this.

"Certainly took you long enough. Name's Bill-"

"I know who you are."

Her voice was tired. Bill squinted at the tea hitting the forest floor. Was orange peko tea suppose to be that orange?

Then he realized that it wasn't tea.

One of the girl's blue eyes was gouged out, leaving a bloody socket. Blood dripped down her cheek.

* * *

Amelia honestly didn't remember how she lost the eye.

She had arrived at Gravity Falls a week ago. Ford and Stan ran the Shack together. Melody and Soos had moved to Portland to start a family. Her reason for coming was quick to spread.

She had stopped by the police station to pick up the copy of the police report that Sheriff Blubs had promised her. People in Gravity Falls adored the twins, and they knew that there was a chance.

The fact that someone was willing to take that chance had won the support of the town.

Toby Determined had stopped her, handing her a copy of the newspaper from that week. She had thanked him as she headed into the diner. An hour later, she had started to head home.

Then blackness.

She had awoken on the Shack's doorstep to Ford's screaming. There was blood dripping down her cheek. Then she realized her eye was gone with an unsurprising amount of pain. The newspaper and police report were burnt ashes in her pocket, along with a note.

_STOP LOOKING_

Amelia was off to a bad start.

There had been no trace of the twins, the report had said. No footprints, no bodies, nothing. No sign of struggle or reasons for them to run away. All that was found was Dipper's pine tree hat and a blue journal with a pine tree on the cover.

Looking through the book, she had found Bill Cipher's page.

That led to here.

The tea soaking her skin was nothing compared to the demon's nasty glare. (That was also unsurprising. He _had_ been turned to stone for six years by her family.) "So, what? Is Pine Tree gonna-"

"Dipper and Mabel Pines have been presumed dead for six years."

Silence.

"What?"

"They disappeared six years ago. No bodies, no trace. You're going to help me find them."

The demon laughter was echoing, dark. "Give me a good reason to-" He stopped. "You... you bound us."

_With my blood, I bind you..._

"Yes." Amelia touched the cheek under her missing eye. She really needed to cover this up. It was a good source of blood though. "I read about bonds. I know you have to help me." She took a step forward. "I know Dipper and Mabel were your dearest enemies. You can exit the Mindscape, make a body."

She held out a hand.

"Just _help me_."

There was silence. Bill stared at her, seeming to try to decide if she was serious. She stared back.

She was.

"Deal."

Hands lit with blue fire, they shook.

* * *

Stan was in the kitchen when she entered. Dressed in his wifebeater and boxers, he was sipping from a soda. He looked up when she entered. "How it go?"

Amelia stared at the inside of the fridge. The eye was bandaged now, along with her wrist. "It went fine. He agreed to help me."

Stan sighed, taking a sip of his drink. His stress was showing. Running the Shack with the twins missing, Soos in Portland with Melody, and Wendy getting married was taking its toll. "Well, that's good."

Finally, she settled on the leftovers of breakfast. Hunger rumbled in her stomach.

"Oh, you got a call."

Amelia closed the fridge. "My parents?" She asked, placing the pancakes in the microwave. The green numbers counted down. The timer beeped when it was done.

"No. From Mayor Cutebiker. He wants you to join him at the Club tomorrow for lunch."

Amelia nodded.

-_-

In six years, the Club had transformed into a even more posh supper club. The mayor sat at a table near the new stage. He was nervous, of course. The Pines were so wise, so _strong_...

"Mayor Cutebiker?"

He yelped, looking to his right. Amelia Pines stared at him, one eye covered by gauze and cloth. It matched her wrist. The other blue eye stared at him with intensity.

"Ah, Miss Pines." He said, pulling out a chair. She sat down, still staring at him as he pushed her in and then sat down.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Um, yes. I was hoping to help you."

She nodded. "How?" Her voice was thick with doubt.

Tyler chuckled nervously, wishing Manly Fan was here. "I remembered everything about the twins' friends...and enemies."

_That_ caught Amelia's attention. She leaned forward, staring at him. "Okay. Why here?"

"Because the singer who's gonna be performing was Mabel's girlfriend."

"Mabel's..."

She was cut off by the men cheering as the curtains opened, revealing a blonde woman...

And the show began.

-_-

Pacifica Northwest.

Lawyer student, daughter of the ex wealthiest people in town, and part time singer.

She missed the twins.

It was the Pines hair floof that caught her eye during the show. She followed it down to a blue eye gazing intensely.

When the piano played the last notes, the Pines headed backstage.

* * *

"Okay. Had seen Dipper and Mabel the night before. They met at the diner at six, the twins told her that they'll be back at nine."

Amelia connected Pacifica's report to the board. She had taken over the twin's room for the moment, Ford already promising that she could sleep in his room if she found the twins.

The bandaged wrist stung as she picked up the list of phone numbers. Ford and Stan had taken care of the cuts well, but it still stung and burned like it had just been carved in. Amelia let out a hiss, rubbing it.

"Hey Golden Candle!"

So there he was.

"Cipher." She said politely, looking over the list in her hand. _Candy __Chiu__, __Grenda__ von __Fundshauser__, Pacifica Northwest, Gideon Gleeful, Wendy Courderoy, Robbie Valentino..._

"What do you think?"

Amelia looked up, forgetting about the list in her hand.

One word was _tall_.

The suit was black with a white shirt, little golden triangles on the cuffs. The coattails had a golden brick pattern on them, matching the tiny jewel in his bowtie. The black cloth matched his hat.

"Nice object head form. You might need a full human form, though." Amelia said. Her wrist felt warm. Glancing down, she let out a "Crap." at the red bandage.

Hurrying to the bathroom, she undid the bandages. Amelia was now staring at the healing mark Bill had carved into her skin.

Bricks surrounded her wrist, stopping at the top of her wrist. A triangle with a eye in the center was where it stopped- a sign of who her soul belonged to now. The alcohol seeped into the blood with a muttered curse, the healing salve put on next. Then, bandages were tied on.

"Still healing?" Bill asked when she entered.

"Yeah." She mumbled, pulling her sleeve over the bandages. "So, do you know where they are?"

"No, I don't." Bill said. He had been staring at Dipper's journal with interest.

"I thought you knew everything."

He rolled his eye. "_Lots of things_ is different from _everything,_ Golden Candle. I never claimed I knew everything."

Amelia sighed. Touching her new eyepatch- stolen from Stan- lightly, an idea popped up. "What about whoever ripped my eye out? It has to be the same person."

"Can't find that out either. I tried to find the place, but it was blocked. When I tried going through your memories, nothing showed up, which is rather odd." Bill tapped his point in thought.

"Odd?"

The demon sighed, leaning to stare at her eye to eye. "You would have to be awake for your eye to be removed. Yet, there's nothing. You left the diner and fell unconscious. Then, you woke up at the Shack. But, there's nothing in between."

"So... somebody messed with my memories?" The thought was frightening.

"Yes, possibly."

The doorbell rang suddenly, making Amelia stiffen. "I'll get it!" She called, hurrying downstairs.

Bill watched her, turning his attention to the new journal. He opened it, flipping through pages until he landed on one. A drawing of himself leered up, next to a big DO NOT SUMMON. The demon hid a laugh- in the end, Amelia was just as bull- headed as her cousins.

Then Amelia's scream ripped through the Shack.

The demon dropped the book as he floated downstairs. The old men supported the youth, staring at the steps in horror. Taking a look, Bill could see why.

A decomposing deer sat there, maggots running through. Pinned to the head was a piece of blood stained, typed on, paper.

_THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT, PINES_

* * *

The police got there a few minutes later after Stan's shaky call. Blubs announced that there was no fingerprints. "There's a possibly that it was done by the same person that took your eye. This envelope was with it." He say as the rest of police loaded the corpse away.

Amelia snatched the envelope out of his hand, opening the white paper. She dragged a piece of parchment out and paled.

"Amelia? Honey, what is it?" Ford asked. The girl slowly turned the piece of paper around, showing it.

Three images stood on the parchment: a pine tree, a shooting star, and a golden candle. "That's my sign, along with Dipper and Mabel's..." She stammered, reaching out and running her thumb over the hairclip. The pine tree and the shooting star were crossed out in red, a red circle surrounding the candle. "There's something written here too." She mumbled, starting to read.

_Pine trees grow tall and strong,_

_While shooting stars dance across the sky,_

_And a golden candle lights the darkness._

_But pine trees are cut down,_

_While shooting stars fall,_

_And a golden candle be snuffed out._

~'~'~

The door closed behind the police. The papers and deer had been taken. Durland had promised a handwriting test.

"Sheesh. Two people go missing and they finally start acting like the police." Stan said. He sighed, running a hand down his face. He glanced at his pale niece. "Off to bed with you." He said to Amelia.

She sighed and nodded, heading up the stairs.

Dipper's bed was cold when she slipped in. Slowly, her eyes closed. Triangle Bill formed on the pillow, absently nuzzling her cheek.

That night, he feasted on nightmares of corpses and eyes.

~'~'~

"Excuse me."

"Mugs are ten bucks, T-shirts are twenty." Amelia rattled off, paging through Dipper's journal. Stan had finally convinced her to work the register. He had told her it would be better if she kept the investigation out of the public eye.

Amelia agreed.

"I was hoping for a moment of your time."

She looked up.

"Gideon Gleeful?"

* * *

From what she heard, Gideon Gleeful had continued the Tent of Telepathy. Somehow, nobody remembered the big huge robot, his role in Weirdmaggedon, or the fact that he promised to be a normal kid.

He was taller than Amelia expected, the Elvis hairstyle gone. He was wearing a leather jacket and cowboy boots, paired with jeans and a baby blue T-shirt. His white hair was shorter now, tied back with a black ribbon.

He laughed, leaning on the counter, booping her nose. "Yep! And you're Amelia Pines. You've grown."

Amelia leaned back. "'Grown'?" She cocked her head in puzzlement.

The Southerner laughed again. "Oh! I guess it has been a while. You came up here winter break, before the twins disappeared." His smile turned wistful, tracing a star in the wood. "I can't blame you for not remembering, we... we scared you pretty badly."

"We?"

"The twins, Pacifica, and me." He smiled at her. "How about lunch?"

Amelia glanced up at the clock. It was only a few minutes before Grunkle Stan closed the Shack for lunch anyway. "Sure, I guess. Promise not to try to cut my tongue out?"

Gideon burst into laughter a third time. "Of course!"

~'~'~

The two sat in the aquatic restaurant, waiting for their orders to arrive. "You were seven if I remember, winter break of that year. The Stan twins had just returned home because it was almost Christmas." Gideon started, poking at his food.

"Me and Pacifica, we hung out with the twins a lot and you started to tag along as well." He took a sip of his root beer. "Well, we heard rumors about a lake monster, something other than the Gobblewonker or the Island Head."

"And?" She sipped her drink. "You said you guys scared me."

"Well, we found something. The lake was frozen that winter. Mabel told you to stay on the shore, with a bag of extra cameras. We went out onto the ice...then something grabbed Dipper's leg and dragged him under the ice."

Amelia paled. Something about that did seem familiar. "And then..."

"Well, Pacifica was grabbed, then me, and then Mabel. It was some sort of ice squid, tentacles wrapped around our legs." Gideon stared into the distance. "Just as we were about to drown, Mabel used her grappling hook to grab the edge of the ice and we yanked ourselves out. You were standing there, eyes wide and knuckles white. You were crying."

"Oh. So this lunch..."

Gideon chuckled. "I heard you were back in town and wanted to play catch up. Wink!" He playfully winked.

The rest of lunch, as said, was spent on catching up.

* * *

The phone ringing jolted Amelia awake. She had been sleeping on the counter and her research of Gravity Falls, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She reached out, blindly grabbing until her hands rested on the phone. "Hello, this is the Mystery Shack." she said dully

_"Is this Amelia Pines?!"_

The urgency in Sheriff Blubs' voice had Amelia sitting up, wiping sleep away. "Yeah? What is it?"

_"I don't know what it is, but you gotta come down to the lake! It looks like your cousins!"_

She paled. "Hold on." Amelia said finally, hanging up. Bill was yanked rudely out of his sweater nest as she ran past the EMPLOYEES ONLY DOOR.

"GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!"

-_-

The Stanmobile screeched to a stop on the lakeshore. A police car was parked nearby, Blubs and Durland staring at the lake. Amelia, Bill on her shoulder, slammed the door shut. When she turned, she saw the black figures.

One looked like Mabel, the shooting star on its sweater outlined in white. The matching other looked like Dipper, the pine tree on his hat outlined. Everything else was black, except two white pinpricks where their eyes would be.

Amelia yanked her boots off, leaving her jacket on the ground. Bill blinked in surprise. "Candle?"

She ignored Bill, running to the dock. The twins weren't that far out- she could make it. "Um, Candle?"

The girl sped up, ignoring everyone. Her gaze was focused on her cousins. "Golden Candle, I don't like this ideaAAAAAHHH!"

Her feet flew off the dock. The cold water hit Amelia _hard_. She couldn't feel Bill perched on her shoulder- but that didn't matter. Dipper and Mabel were the only ones who mattered.

Her arms and legs pumped furiously as she swam. She kept her focus on her cousins.

_Gotta get there._

_"_Amelia! You'll won't make it!" Ford shouted.

_Gotta get to them._

"Those aren't your cousins!" Bulbs yelled.

_Gotta get to Dipper and Mabel._

"Amelia Pines, get your butt back here!" Stan shouted furiously.

_Gotta..._

_Get there..._

Her vision blurred as exhaustion, dimly seeing the figures disappear as darkness overtook her.

* * *

Amelia woke up in a hospital bed. Her grunkles were sitting in chairs. She looked around in confusion. "Where...?"

"Dry drowning." Stan explained as Ford left the room. "You'll be out of here tomorrow."

A nurse came in, checking on Her vitals. The older Pines men were shooed out with the explanation that visitors hours were over. Amelia was left alone.

Her eyes focused on the triangle demon sitting on her knees. Bill's color was muted, his hat limp. Like he was sad.

His black hands clenched, eye going black as his body turned red. "D- Do you realize...how incredibly **_STUPID THAT WAS?"_**

Amelia gulped. "I- It was them. I just-"

"**_NO, AMELIA, YOU DON'T! THAT COULD'VE BEEN AN ATTEMPT ON YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU KEEP INSISTING ON OPENING THIS STUPID CASE!"_**Bill loomed over her, tall and furious.

Amelia glared. "Mabel and Dipper aren't stupid!"

"**_I KNOW THAT!" _**Bill roared. He calmed, returning to yellow. His hands cupped her face. "Sweet child, I know."

She sighed as he settled on her knee. "So, what were they?"

"Mental projections. Which means that the twins' minds are working."

-_-

The next day, Amelia was checked over and declared fine. All water had been pumped out of her lungs. When she returned to the Shack, she went looking for the book that had told her about bonds.

Amelia stared at the old book, it's pages yellowed by time. But she focused on the chapter.

_BONDING: It is common for any magic user to magically seal their life to a companion, such as a cat or a bird spirit. These companions are stuck with the user for life, called familiars._

_Demon/Angel bonding, however, is different. The ceremony of summoning is used, and then a deal is struck. Often, the user and the summoned creature agree on something the other has to do for them._

_Then, the deal is sealed in a exchange of the human's blood and the creature's magic. The demon leaves a claiming mark, depending on the level of power the summoner has or the tasks. Some common type of marks are doors or drawers in the chest. Scars are also common._

_But, a extremely powerful summoner can have the mark burnt or tattooed into their flesh. These bonds are permanent._

_Often, the creature extends the human's body for as long as the bond is needed. This means the human can live for thousands of years without growing old. This also means that the human can survive for long times without food or water. Quick healing also occurs._

_In permanent bonds, a friendship sometimes occurs. In rare cases, a romantic or sexual relationship is started._

"Doing some research?"

Object head Bill stood next to her chair, soda in hand. Amelia shrugged. "Just brushing up on some stuff." He nodded as he sat down. "Why us?"

"Hm?"

She shut the book. "Why did you ask Ford to build the portal? Why agree to go with Gideon's plans." Amelia stared at her hands. "Why did you target Pines?"

Bill hummed as he leaned back. "Good question." He took a sip. "I went after Sixer because he was smart and arrogant. He was easy, even after those 30 long years. Stan... He got boring."

She raised a brow. "You bore easily?"

"You live for trillions of years." Bill said. "But the twins...Oh the twins." His finger tapped against the can. "I originally preferred Shooting Star."

"Because fun means chaos."

He nodded. "Yep. But then I took a closer look at Pine Tree." At her blank look, he sighed. "Imagine if I wanted to kill a whole bunch of people. Well, Shooting Star would argue against it simply because 'it's wrong'." His voice went high. "But Pine Tree would have a huge amount of reasons why not. Every situation he gets thrown at, he finds new ways to deal with it."

Amelia nodded. "Oh." She glanced down to the book. She looked up a second later. "Wait, do you have a crush on my cousin?"

"No-!"

_"Do you?"_

* * *

_"Oh I can see,_

_What others can't see._

_It ain't some sideshow trick,_

_It's innate ability..."_

Gideon practiced his routine, a record providing music, as Pacifica and Amelia watched. "He started this up after they disappeared." The blonde mentioned. The younger nodded. She had dressed in a khaki skirt and white button-up, a pink sweatshirt tied around her waist. "We just fell apart." Pacifica sighed.

Arnold Kryptos, a British friend of Gideon's, watched Gideon from a few seats away. He kept glancing back at Amelia and scowling like he had tasted something foul.

"Whew." Gideon panted as the song ended. "That was hard work. Mother, get me some ice cream!"

Mrs. Gleeful hurried out of the tent, shoulders hunched over. Amelia honestly wondered how the woman hadn't died of stress yet.

"So, what did you think?"

Pacifica shrugged. "The footwork is a bit sloppy, but so far so good."

"It looks good to me." Amelia said. Arnold nodded his agreement.

"Alright!" Gideon said, straightening at a phone's beeping. "What's that?"

Amelia glanced at her pocket. "Mine. It must be Blubs." The youngest mumbled, pulling her phone out. She pulled up her text messages. An unfamiliar number stared up at her.

_LOOK_ _UP_

"Look up?" She mumbled, turning her eyes to the ceiling. What hung there made her gasp, the phone dropping to the ground.

Mrs. Gleeful hung there, a rope around her neck. Both eyes were gouged out and leaking blood, her mouth open in a scream.

"Oh god." Pacifica gagged.

The air was broken by Gideon's scream.

* * *

Amelia paced outside the tent, watching the police lights flash. Two paramedics came out with a body bag. Pacifica was talking to Durland, while Gideon was calling his dad.

"No prints at all." Bulbs said, walking up to the teenager.

"Was she..."

"Huh? What?" The sheriff said.

"Was she violated?"

"Oh! No. But, from the knife work, it looks like the same person that did your eye in."

"Do we have to call it that?" Amelia asked, touching her eyepatch. She frowned. "I don't know how somebody could've done this."

"Well, they stabbed her and-"

"No!" She glared at the tent. "Ask anyone. We all saw her alive a minute before the body was found. There was no way somebody could do all that," She gestured to the bag. "And hang it up without a longer time and without us noticing."

Blubs sighed. "I don't know. But clearly, somebody doesn't want you to look."

Amelia aimed a glare at him.

-_-

Blubs ended up giving her a ride. He dropped her off in front of the dark Shack, driving away when she reached the door. Amelia rolled her eyes as she entered the kitchen. A note sat on the table.

_Dear Amelia,_

_Stan __shoplifted_ _fireworks_ _again, so we're going to hang out somewhere until the police stop looking for us. Your demon said he had 'business' in the Mindscape._

_So, please don't burn the house down._

_From, Ford._

"Geeze, you melt three plates and nobody trusts you." Amelia mumbled. She looked around nervously, her old claustrophobia closing in.

The TV was quickly turned on, filling up the void of sound. Soon, Amelia was sobbing at _The Duchess Approves. _A tub of ice cream sat next to the remains of her pasta.

_"I may be a duchess, but I'm also a woman!"_

"It's just like my life. In a way." Amelia said, calming. The phone rang. She frowned and answered it. "Oh, hello?"

"Amelia! We need you!" Gideon yelled on the other end.

She sat up with a frown. "What happened?"

"Pacifica went to a party and ran off into the woods drunk! I think she'll come if it's you yelling for her."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

* * *

Loud music thumped through the large house. Gideon was waiting on the back porch when Amelia hurried up, flashlight in hand. He gave a smile full of relief when he saw her.

"What happened?" She demanded.

His smile disappeared. "I don't know. Pacifica called me, and when I got here, she was drunk as hell." He started to pace, the wood creaking under his feet. "She started yelling at me and then ran off into the woods. Then I called you."

Amelia sighed, gripping her flashlight. She followed Gideon into the dark woods. Both of them flipped their flashlights on.

Soon, their voices mingled as they yelled for the blonde.

Amelia sighed, what felt like hours later, as her throat ached. Gideon sighed as well, running his fingers through his hair. Amelia looked up at the older boy, eye focusing on blue.

A bracelet of silver sat on his wrist, the star blue. An eye leered at her. She nodded at it. "What's that?"

"Oh." The Southerner said, glancing at it. He sounded nervous. "Just a tattoo."

"It looks like my bonding mark." It had finally healed, discoloring her skin into gold strands and a black triangle. She moved to take a step.

The realization hit her.

_Bonding Mark..._

_Powers..._

_Demon..._

Amelia froze. "It can't be." She mumbled, hand trembling. _Run_! "Y- You wouldn't." _Run, you idiot_! Hope filled her voice. "Right?"

Gideon sighed, looking behind her.

_Run._

She turned...

To see Arnold drive the blade of a sword into her shoulder. She let out a shriek of pain as she fell, the scent of copper filling the air.

_You stupid idiot, why didn't you run?!_

"Strike three. You're out, Golden Candle."

* * *

Pain roared in Amelia's shoulder when Arnold pulled out. The silver was stained with red, a copper scent filling the air.

The smell of blood.

"Y- You?" Amelia managed out, clenching her shoulder. The dirt under her free hand was damp. The star headed demon smirked at her.

"Me. Your cousin were quite the heartbreakers."

"I- I don't understand." She turned her gaze to the other human. "Gideon, _why_? You guys were friends, why would you kill-"

The Southerner stared at her. "We were. Then I fell for Dipper, and then he rejected me. It wasn't _fair._"

Amelia gulped. "What did you do?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"He summoned me." Kryptos said. "Agreed to a bond and we made sure that, if Gideon couldn't have the twins, nobody could." The blade pressed against her neck. "Then you, Little Miss Mystery, came along. It was quite easy to remove your eye."

She touched her eyepatch. The movement sent a fresh jolt of pain to her shoulder. "What about Pacifica?"

Gideon yanked her up, sending pain ringing. He gripped her head back. "Enough questions. March!"

-_-

The three stopped at the shore of the lake. Pacifica, unconscious and smelling of alcohol, was tied up against a tree.

"She found out before you did." Arnold said. Amelia gulped. "Don't worry about her. Look over there."

She followed his claw to a little dock in the center of the lake. Her heart stopped. Two familiar brunettes were lying on the dock. Years older, but still familiar.

"They aren't dead. I put them in an enchanted sleep. They should be waking up soon."

His teeth were fangs as he started to stroke her hair. It was a horrible mimicry of what Bill did sometimes. When her demon, she couldn't help but feel it was a sign of some affection. This just felt like he was waiting to cut her throat.

"They'll drown."

* * *

Amelia gulped. Arnold smirked, stopping his strokes to pat her head.

"Now, what we need you to do is swim to them, and you have my word, if you make it, we'll row over to you." He leered down at her. "We'll take them to shore. But, no matter what, you're dying."

She stared at the demon and silently nodded. That's why they injured her shoulder- so she would drown.

The boots and jacket were slipped off and Amelia stood in the freezing water. Then she started swimming. It was a silent night, broken only by her splashes. It was a far trip to the little wooden dock, lit by moonlight. She was no champion swimmer. Amelia grunted when her hand slapped against the wood.

She lifted herself between the twins, feeling nails bend. "I made it!" Amelia screamed. Kneeling between them, she gripped their hands. Her hands were slick with blood where her nails had been.

There was splashes and then Amelia felt something smash into her head...

And she fell in.

-_-

The water was...scary.

It was dark, it was cold, and Amelia felt blood drift off her forehead. Bubbles escape her lips as her hair swam from her head.

She drifted in the lake, moving down, down, down.

_You_ _think I'm letting you go that easy?_

Amelia felt herself drift from her body, watching yellow cat eyes open in her body. Bill smirked up at her in...Bilia? Bmelia? Amelill? He waved at her. She waved back, feeling calm and safe.

The demon in her body rocketed up.

Her body was her own when she hit the surface of the lake. Air gasped into her lungs. There was the screech of sirens, and a hand grabbed her from the water. She absently saw Blubs and Durland.

Bill stood next to her great uncles and Pacifica, and she screamed at him. About how sorry she was, how she was an idiot, Gideon...The only thing that stopped Amelia when she was loaded into the ambulance were the twins, sleeping peacefully.

They didn't deserve to be woken up like this.

Slowly, Amelia slipped into sleep.

* * *

Amelia dimly woke to her name.

_"Amelia..."_

_"Amelia..."_

_"C'mon baby girl. Time to wake up."_

Only one person called her baby girl. Her eyes opened.

She was in the hospital again, her head bandaged. Dipper and Mabel, dressed in new clothes, stood at her bedside. They were holding her hands. "Hey, baby girl." The male said, stroking her hair. He was careful to avoid the bandage. "Long time no see."

Just like that, Amelia felt like crying. Scratch that- she _was _crying. Tears slid down her cheeks. Her head ached with the pain, but she ignored it. "What- Where-Where did you guys go?"

"Gideon surprised us in the forest. Then, all I remember was being asleep. Then we woke up." Mabel explained.

Amelia bit her cheek. "Sleep with me?"

There was no answer, except for Dipper lifting her up gently as he and Mabel slipped under the sheets. Amelia smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

-_-

The sheriff picked her up from the hospital. Gravity Falls passed by as Amelia sat in the back of the cop car.

"We found Gleeful three miles out, dead." Blubs said. "Tree branch stabbed through him."

"What about-" Amelia started, her mind blanking and redirecting to a different question. "So, what's gonna happen to the twins?"

"Well, both are going to stay at the Shack for the rest of the summer. Mabel got a art scholarship before disappearing, so that's where she's heading in fall. Dipper is staying here, to take of you." Durland said.

Amelia nodded. She knew that she had become another fly in the web of Gravity Falls, unable to leave...

But she didn't mind.

-_-

The first thing she saw when she entered the Shack was Dipper kissing Bill. Well, in a way. It was more lips against a flat surface.

"When did this happen?" Amelia said. The two stared at her in horror.

She rolled her eyes and walked past them. "Never mind."

She didn't mind.

Her demon deserved to have his crush returned.

No matter how much they denied it.


End file.
